Saturday, March 29, 2008

I have heard mothers of boys talking often about how disgusting their little men are. It seems like the male sex just comes into the world with a bend towards all things dirty, messy, gooey, slimy, grimy, filthy, and... well...you get the picture.

Now speaking as a mother of two very girly girls, I am here to say (proudly) that my GIRLS can indeed rival their male peers.

While our house is often bursting at the seems with pink frills and Disney Princess mania, I can truly attest to the fact that my little lovelies are in- touch with their grotesque side.

I know it is hard to believe that such sweet little dolls could possibly possess such "raw" qualities but alas I have proof.....

Exhibit A:

This morning as I was putting Aloe on Rebekah's slightly sun-kissed face she had an epiphany! She said....

"Hey Mommy! Look ,it is like SNOT!! Take a picture!"

(I will say that as soon as I snapped the photo she said..."ok.... this is disgusting!"

We had a marvelous morning as a family. Breakfast together and a trip to Supercuts (notice Bekah's bob) made for a pleasant start to day. Well, on our way home we decided to go to Lowe's to purchase a tomato plant and a few other things for our landscape. (We have high hopes for our back yard)

Anyways... that sets the stage for...

Exhibit B:

As we stood in line to purchase several items (of course there was more than just one tomato plant) Bekah decided to stick her fingers into a bag of steer manure! Then held up her now brown fingers and said.... "look mud!"

Exhibit C:

While working in our garden Bekah was quite exited to meet a new friend and to my surprise she was more than willing to shake hands with the creature.... as well as give it a name. We would like you to meet Bekah's earthworm acquaintance..... Karen! Where she got the name.... no one knows.

I wouldn't want you to think that Miss Anna is not getting her fair share of the grimy spotlight....

In fact my youngest little princess could probably show up her big sister in the filthy department any day of the week. I fondly refer to her as my "crusty child". It doesn't matter how much I wipe or bathe this child she will inevitably have some permanent sort of crust on her face...

We had a pleasant lunch while gardening today. Anna thought it would be appropriate to have a yogurt facial and as if that wasn't enough.....

She then climbed up on her chair and began to roll in lunch leftovers. I don't think the yogurt would have been that bad by itself but after a full afternoon of helping us garden, yogurt residue and dirt made for quite a interesting shade of bath water ;).

Both girls were caked in mud by dinner time and the ring around our tub is too gritty to be photographed.... (I figured I didn't need more proof.)

All of this is to show you... that we here in the Nelson house, can say LOUD and PROUD.....

The picture below may give you a slight visual of a certain Old Testament story...

The Lord did indeed promise that HE would NEVER again flood the EARTH, and all I can say is I am definitely glad HE is in charge of our planet's waterworks.....

Because if He had put me in charge....... our world might look something like my garden. I guess I kind of forgot about the water running......

Come to think of it, I am glad He is in charge in general.... and I AM NOT!

When Bekah saw the "ocean view" she said....

"We should put a boat in it!!!!!!!!"

And for some reason I said...

"ok..."

Hey it gave us an opportunity to talk about Noah and God's promises.....

I'm hoping my garden is ok.

I love how the Lord provides little moments for us to teach our kids. Our little "oops" can turn into positive lessons. Just like the amazing story of Noah and the Ark.... God still knows, still has a plan,still has a grand purpose and ALWAYS keeps His promises. I find it incredible that if we just look for Him it is amazing how much He shows Himself even in the littlest parts of our day to day.

Anna was a little more hesitant but once she realized there was candy to be had she had a death grip on all things sugar.

Notice the location of candy in this picture....

And now in this one....

Even while getting dressed, Daddy somehow managed to get Anna's clothes on with out removing the treasured sweets.

After a wonderful church service we headed over to my parent's house where the Easter festivities only continued....

More Easter baskets of treats and egg hunts made for smiles from both of our girls.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE OF MISS ANNA!

Now I mentioned yesterday that my Dad is quite serious when it comes to egg hunts.....

Here is a test..... can you find the egg in this picture?

This was one of the "easy" ones at "children's eye level."

Bekah..... not lacking for a stash of eggs. :)

Anna checking out every possible hiding spot...

With the weather in So Cal today being what it was, (HOT) it was a little confusing as to whether we were celebrating Easter or the 4th of July......

My girls took an Easter dip to cool off.

After a FULL day we are home, the kids are in bed, we are slightly EGGS-hausted( sorry I had to put that in there), there is more candy in the house than we know what to do with and BEST of ALL we can most assuredly say...........

HE IS RISEN!!

Happy Easter! Hope you all had a wonderful day! We serve a mighty and powerful God and only through HIM do we have life eternal.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

I am sure I have said this before, but we are typically............ BUSY! :)

Although I wouldn't have it any other way, it often feels like we are off to the races. It generally seems like Saturday morning acts as the starting gun for our typical fast paced weekend.

Why would Easter weekend be any different?

Our first stop today was our fellowship group's Easter Brunch. I think there were close to 40-50 kids there and not only was there a ton of food but we also had our 2nd egg hunt for the week! My girls will be pros before tomorrow!

The difference between this hunt and the one on Tuesday is that now Anna realizes there is stuffINthe eggs. At our MOPS hunt she was quite eager just to get the eggs. Today she opened each egg before deciding to put it in her basket. If it passed the test she would keep it and if it didn't she would re-hide it for a fellow hunter....... her hiding spot of choice was this.........

See the eggs in there? That is all Anna :)

Bekah of course got into the hunt too..... She spotted some of eggs in less obvious hiding spots. :) She is practicing for Grandpa Jay's "Annual Easter Egg Hunt for only ADVANCED, EXPERT, SKILLED and HIGHLY KEEN egg hunters!" (He hides eggs in the most obscure of places.)

Next stop on our race...... Was the Holland's house. Happy Birthday Katelynne! Not sure where my camera was during the party :(

Our third destination was home.......... where we had grandpa and grandma over to decorate EASTER EGGS!!!!!! Am I the only one who loves the smell of the vinegar dye?

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

For the girls and I, our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group has become a major part of our social circle. Both the girls and I look forward to our Tuesday mornings at MOPS. Bekah especially enjoys her "MOPPETS" class as she has the joyous privilege of having Grandma as her teacher! :)

Yesterday was our annual MOPS EASTER EGG HUNT!!!!!!!!! It was a lot of fun and when thinking of Anna last year at the same event it gives me a lot of perspective on how much she has grown. Last year she was just a little 4 month old bundle sleeping in her infant seat and this year she was walking around with speed and confidence. She is quite skilled at the "hunting" aspect of it all. She knew exactly what to do and was very proud to carry around her bunny basket.

It was so nice that my mom was also able to attend. I am always appreciative of an extra set of hands. :)

Rebekah was a lot quicker at collecting eggs this year. I think she realized for the first time that she is racing against other egg hunters.....

The HUNT was on!

A marvelous time with our MOPS friends and a fabulous day in the southern California sun!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Every day has little moments that only serve to remind me how BLESSED I am.

2.) Reason #2: Joyful reunions

Tonight my parents came home from a two week trip. Because my dad and mom live a mere 3 blocks away, my girls have become quite accustomed to them being regulars in our routine. So when they are gone for any extended period of time, my girls

(especially Bekah) are in complete anticipation mode until they come home......

After looking at these pictures I bet you can guess as to their destination....

The girls made out like bandits with all the treasures grandpa and grandma brought home.

3.) Reason # 3:

Aren't the smiles of children contagious? :)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Philipians 4:4

Hope you had plenty of reasons to smile today!

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~Mother Teresa

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

I don't know if any of you other stay-at-home moms have ever felt this way...

It has recently occurred to me that I studied for four years, jumped over all the required college hurdles, graduated with a bachelors degree and paid a small fortune for a "private" education all to be a........ PROFESSIONAL WIPER!!!

That's right........ other women in my "profession" may affectionately refer to themselves as..... a homemaker, housewife, the heart of the home, domestic engineer or even domestic goddess. I however have come to realize that in recent years one of the tasks that has come to define my day to day routine is WIPING!

If I am not wiping one of my kids dairy airs, I am wiping the remnants of every meal off of their faces. If I am not wiping off faces or hands I am wiping off fingerprints and all around grime off of my furniture, countertops, door knobs and even walls.

I am sure that as time passes and my children begin to take on their own "wiping responsibilities", my job description and title will change. Most likely when I am driving them from school, to sports, to youth group and such..... I will look at myself as more of a "taxi driver". I can only imagine what lies ahead of me in the "mom business."I know that each phase seems to have its prominent characteristics and while it may seem like "wiping" is not that desirable of a job.... with the wiping, comes hugs and comfort after wiping away tears. As with all the simple tasks of being a mom, I have the AWESOME privilege of being a part of every second of my kids lives. I get to see their personalities grow and change and their minds develop . I view first hand my girls likes, dislikes, quirks, and loves. I will NEVER take lightly the task of raising my kids and "raising women for the kingdom". There is no other job I would rather have, no other place I would rather be and if given the choice of any "well paying" profession and my current status, I have to say I would choose the wiping hands down.

TODAY:

Our friends the Jacobs are moving into a new house and in order to give her mom and dad a chance to organize and unpack Kate came over to play with the girls today. Bekah was thrilled to have a friend over.

In addition to dress up, doll houses, outside time and coloring, we made cookies and ate quite a bit of sugar. (Sorry Shanna :) )

While in our back yard I pulled a sizable viney weed that resembled a very green wig. Rebekah, always being up for a dare, thought it was hilarious to put the leafy accessory on. However she did not find it at all humorous when a wormy sort of thing began to wriggle down her arm. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK. I of course had to be calm in removing the creepy crawly. But in my head I was thinking..................... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!! TOO! :)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

There are several reasons why I so enjoy the glorious extra hours of day...

For one, I always feel like I can accomplish so much more in 24 hours. We always say "there aren't enough hours in the day"..... well this is the most we can get! :)

Another reason is.... Josh works..... let's just say "full" days.... and when he gets home at the end of the day we still have 2-3 hours of light left. It makes for much more relaxing family evenings, instead of dinner and then bed-time.

The longer days seem to act as a great stress reliever for me.... maybe because I know that we are nearing summer, or maybe because I don't feel as rushed in my day to day. I love that there is so much more opportunity for outside time and there just seems to be less reason to turn on the TV.

My girls thrive on being outside and cool evenings in our backyard are always a good time!

Today the girls and I went to Lowe's to purchase some greenery for our backyard. We must have hit them on "mark down day" because we scored some wonderful plants for super great deals.

I am telling you we got TREES for $5.00. I have learned that the plants on the clearance flat may not look the greatest but they are the same plant and with a little TLC you will eventually have something beautiful! I also have realized that most plants DO NOT generally have a very long life span under my "not-so- green- thumb"... so if I can achieve a garden with discounted plants I don't feel so bad if my garden goes brown :(.

Before any landscaping can EVER happen in our yard... the clay, we call dirt, must undergo a thorough soaking....

The girls had fun watering the dirt though....

So when Daddy came home this evening we were ready and waiting with shovel and rake in hand.

Even though I am not above getting my hands dirty..... I am more than willing to hand the shovel over to more capable hands ;)

We planted a new $5.00 Willow Tree, a Gardenia bush, Azalea bush, and a couple trays of annuals......

Hopefully in a month or two our backyard will resemble more of a paradise than it currently does. Ok at least more of a garden than it currently does...

this is my life...

I am married to Superman and a stay-at-home/homeschooling mom to our 4 crazies.I've been redeemed and am a complete work in progress... learning daily to lean on my Savior. With the blessing of each new day... I am and always will be seeking to... "Remember Jesus."